Santa Ana officials are backing away from restricting where photojournalists and residents can take pictures and videos during public meetings at city hall following pushback from the Voice of OC, journalist organizations and a prominent First Amendment rights group.
The pushback came after city officials quietly implemented a policy without a public vote in 2023 restricting where journalists and members of the public can take pictures and film city council deliberations.
Following the criticism, city officials directed staff ahead of the election last year to come back with changes to the media policy to make it more flexible depending on how crowded the council chambers are during meetings…